- It is of no surprise that John Carpenter’s “The Thing” (A remake of “The Thing from Another World” & based off of the book “Who Goes There?”) has been considered a cult classic since it’s release. Kurt Russell, T. K. Carter, & Wilford Brimley star in this sci-fi/horror/mystery classic that has had critics’ acclaim for almost three decades. “The Thing” is filled with awesome death scenes & is a thrilling mystery film, however this is one issue with the plot. Regardless, “The Thing” is a sci-fi/horror/mystery work of brilliance & will forever be a fantastic film.
- R. J. MacReady (Kurt Russell), Nauls (T. K. Carter), & Dr. Blair (Wilford Brimley), along with several other researchers & doctors are members of an American scientific research outpost in Antarctica. After a fatal encounter with some estranged Norwegian researchers from a nearby facility trying to track & kill a loose dog, the group investigates what has driven the Norwegian researchers mad & takes the dog in as one of their own. Little do they know that their new dog is a shape-shifting alien thawed out after crashing on Earth thousands of years ago – the Thing. Bent on being able to shape-shift into any & all life-forms, the Thing devours & infects it’s victims in order to imitate them & assimilate with others to continue infection. Isolated from human contact, the team tries to track down & destroy the Thing before it infects them all & has the chance to take over the world.
- “The Thing” is distinct from other 1980 sci-fi, horror, & mystery films. The death scenes are unique & unafraid of being horrific, yet are not overdone. The Thing becomes an interesting & believable creature; igniting fear & interest in the audience. Many viewers, if not all, will find themselves trying to solve the puzzle of who is infected by the Thing. Some might even watch the film numerous times to gather all the subtle clues as to who is infected, when they are infected, how they are infected, & what lies beyond the ending. “The Thing” also poses many possible outcomes & twists it’s audience from start to finish. These reasons are why “The Thing” has been so successful & is considered a cult classic. However, there is a plot hole within this glorious film.
- There are many assumptions about the Thing, but there is only one process that is logical. The first logical assumption is that the Thing is primitive due to it’s actions & barbarity in it’s original form & sole goal to spread itself among other life-forms without reason. The second logical assumption is that the Thing cannot perform any actions other than what it’s current form can do, due to it’s change from primitive actions while in original form to being only human when in human form & only canine when a dog. The final assumption is that, due to the first two assumptions, the space ship was not built & commandeered by the Thing’s original form, but by one of the Thing’s previously assimilated alien forms or an uninfected alien. Therefore, if the space ship was manned by a different alien species, it was either intentionally crashed to prevent the Thing from living or the Thing assimilated all onboard & it accidently crashed. However, there is a flaw in this only possible logical assumption: the assimilated Dr. Blair was building a new space ship from the remaining parts of the original craft & a helicopter. If the assimilated Dr. Blair had the knowledge to build an extraterrestrial craft, it is logically assumed it came from the Thing because humans do not have the knowledge on how to build such technology. However, according to the first three logical assumptions, the Thing does not have the ability to create & commandeer such technology unless in the form that originally created it. Therefore, a plot hole emerges, but in no way does it take away from the value & greatness of the rest of the film.
- Filled with innovative death scenes & thrilling mystery, it is no wonder why John Carptener’s sci-fi/horror/mystery film “The Thing” is recognized as a cult classic. Unfortunately, the plot meets one slight flaw, but still possesses immense value. The shape-shifting Thing is a creature that will forever be feared & “The Thing” will remain a cult classic for years to come.
This film is always worth reconsideration. I miss the lean and robust John Carpenter that is so absent in his much more self-conscious later work.